Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin
Comments
-
Thanks everyone re your answers about swelling. Hopefully when it finally stops, some of the weight I've gained will go with it. Has anyone been brave enough to have a glass of wine with dinner? I quit having wine when I started chemo (of course) and have no idea when it's safe to have a glass since my next blood labs wont be for 3 months post last TCH infusion.
0 -
I feel really blessed because I am going to a new cancer center. My labs are done 20 minutes before my oncologist appt then right after is when I have infusions. Everything is in the same building on the same floor.
I am so glad that I only have 2 more infusions of the chemo then the year of Herceptin. Has anyone heard how long it takes for our hair to start growing back? Is anyone considering using minoxydil (rogaine)?
I can barely see as I'm typing because my eyes and so runny!
0 -
Blownaway my first chemo was October 5th, 2010. Our anniversary is on the 16th of October… and I had a really nice glass of dry red wine to go with my orange duck for two at the French Bistro we go to every year including 2010. I'm not a big drinker and I can probably count how many glasses of wine I have a year on 1 hand but I do like a glass once in a while.
0 -
blownaway - I think anytime is ok to have a glass of wine - my MO said I could have the occasional one on chemo, but it all tasted like vinegar to me, so I skipped it until after my taste buds returned to normal. I don't consume alcohol often - maybe once a month at most.
0 -
pinkninja - You and I are all over this site! My last TCH infusion was 5 weeks ago and I too will continue with just herceptin to finish one year of treatment which is supposed to slow down hair regrowth.... I just started using Walmart brand men's strength minoxodil last week, morning and night. Also, I am washing my bald scalp with Nioxin, plus massaging with a vibrating scalp massager every night to increase blood circulation. Oh, and dont forget the Hair, Skin & Nails supplement. I'm hitting it from every angle and will keep you posted. I just had my old Latisse prescription renewed and will pick it up from the pharmacy on my way home from work. I'm gettin' my game back!!!!
PS- I did not clear any of this with my docs and just started rads today. Shame on me, I'll ask them tomorrow.
0 -
My MO said alcohol in moderation was OK all except the day of chemo, but I was like Special, it tasted terrible for most of a year. Now I have a glass of wine or a drink several times a week.
BlownAway & Pink - check the Hair, Hair thread. There are very detailed discussions of when it gos & when and how it grows & what supplements have worked, etc. Also good pictures of progression. Since you're both HER2+, if you're on Herceptin the growth is usually slower.
0 -
I will tell you my hair regrowth timeline. I did not lose all my hair - had some hideous salt and pepper stubble. But it was an advantage when it was time to regrow. Final chemo was 7/31 (2009), and by 10/4 I went out to dinner 'topless' for the first time. It was a VERY short crew-cut-looking GI Jane, but I put on makeup, big earrings, and pretended I was someone glamorous.
I think I pushed it a bit, but that at least give you some idea.
I saw my hairdresser every few weeks and she cut the extra-long strands to keep it even. (That was hard for me to allow.) It looked neater that way.
It came in very curly - Little Orphan Annie type curly. I've always had curly but not like that. But over time it settled down.My onc said only natural hair dye in the beginning, so I used a box - I think it was called Naturtint, but anyway I got it at Wholefoods. It was a very 'flat' color and didn't look so great, but I couldn't stand the salt/pepper anymore. Not ready to go grey yet! About a year or so later, I returned to my salon for coloring and continue that through the present.
I KNOW it is so difficult to lose your hair and hard to wait for regrowth. But in the long run, it really is only a very short period of your life. You will have your hair back before you know it, and this will seem like a short season, the way it does to me, looking back from 5 years out.
Keep going ladies. Not only you CAN do this, but you ARE Doing it!
Amy
0 -
Gee, I wish hubby was cooking something special tonight. Seems like a glass of wine would be wasted on the leftovers he has planned (I work - he's retired and does most of the cooking).
I'll check out the hair discussion and see if I've missed any other hair growing remedies. Right now, mine is about 1/16" or equivalent to the burr haircuts they used to give little boys in the summertime. I'm seeing a lot of grey and white - before it fell out, I had very little grey. Shucks!
0 -
Thanks Amyisstrong - I wouldn't mind so much if wigs looked better on me but I have a tiny head and wigs look huge on my head unless I get one with very little hair on it and then I notice the cap showing through in places. I'm ok as long as I don't go near a mirror because I forget how bad I look. I'll be doing the GI Jane thing as soon as I can get away with it.
0 -
I'm not sure I posted this here. It's my hair growth photos. It's starts on the right with a photo 1 week before my BMX (I did that first). The next picture is the day my hair started to fall out. I had it cut short. You can see the photo after that my hair is thinner and looks dead (trust me it's clean). Then you see me in my wig followed by the scarf. After that you can see it grow.
once I colored my hair I had it trimmed every 3 weeks. linky
0 -
Lago - thanks so much for sharing! It looks like it started out slow and then speeded up as time went by. You can really tell the difference in just a 10 day period. You look really good with short hair! Hope mine grows that fast.
0 -
And remember I too was on Herceptin for a year. It did speed up once I got off it.
0 -
My MO also said alcohol drinking in moderation even on chemo. I've had a glass here or there...just not within a few days of chemo and I make sure I drink like 32 oz of water for that one glass of wine.
Alcohol alone is not the cause if breast cancer... Studies show that drinking more than 3 glasses/week can increase your risk by 10%. There are also health benefits to having a glass of wine....with everything....in moderation!
And for everyone: please read what's in your makeup, nail and hair products! The stuff can be quite dangerous!!!
http://greenlivingonline.com/article/six-makeup-chemicals-avoid
0 -
5-1/2 weeks after my last TCH infusion, 2-1/2 weeks after my first herceptin only infusion and still losing eyebrow hairs. I had lost over half of my eyelashes and there is still no sign of eyelashes returning. Scalp hair is growing but filling in very slowly AND WAY MORE GRAY THAN IT WAS BEFORE! So ready for normal again - I know, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.....
0 -
Blownaway my eyelashes and eyebrows thinned on chemo but I never lost them completely… at about 5 weeks they shed some more. This is because the new hairs were pushing the old hairs causing them to finally fall out. You may shed several times because typically your hairs should be out of sync when they grow/fall out. Right now they may be all growing at the same time.
0 -
I am more than 2 months PFC and I have an issue with my toenails. They haven't grown *at all.* I got a pedicure on August 26 and it looks like I just got it yesterday. This would be nice, excdept that when she was doing the pedicure back in August, I noticed a large black spot on my big toenail, and the same toenail has recently started bleeding a bit. It doesn't hurt and it doesn't feel like it's lifting. I'm nervous about taking off the polish, but i suppose I should see what's going on. My medical oncologist simply told me to go see a podiatrist.
On a positive note, my fingernails are growing nicely. I was afraid a few might lift off, but I think I'm past that point.
0 -
everForward I would baby those toenails. Don't put any extra pressure on them. You might have a little lifting but since it happened so late it might not be too bad. Don't remove the nail polish… that would just put more pressure on them. If you do go to a podiatrist be sure it's one that understands the issues with nail lifting with Taxotere. Mine knew all about it. She was recommended by my MO.
0 -
Hi all: I'm really petrified re starting TCH. The MO was originally going to just do Taxol and Herceptin (I have 2 IBCs-1HER2+ only and 1 ER+PR+,HER2-), but he is spooked by my Nottingham on the hormone positive tumor and just ordered the Oncotype test. He said he'd do TCH today if he had to make the call. It sounds as though I'm going to be in rough shape with nail issues, etc. already resigned myself to no hair. All suggestions for coping are very much welcome!
0 -
April most people do not get nail issues. If you are really worried you can ice them about 15 minutes before, during and after taxotere infusion. It might help. You can also purchase special gloves and booties (I think you need dry ice too). Here is one site that sells them linky
BTW I did get nail lifting, every single finger and toenail. I got a really bad case of it too. Some of my toenails are permanently damaged. Nails not the same either but not terrible. To be honest it's not a big deal. I'm 4+ years NED (no evidence of disease) and counting!
But be sure you lean about all the SE of Taxotere. Neuropathy is one of them but that can actually be worse on Taxol. I know I rather have shitty nails than permanent neuropathy. I have a little in my left heel that isnt' a huge deal. Again most folks do recover from it. There is also a slight risk of your hair not coming back the same or not coming back (3%-6%) on Taxotere. Discuss this with your MO. My hair all came back.
0 -
EverForward - If you have a regular dermatologist, you might go see that doc first. It took me 2 years to figure out that derm docs do "hair, skin & nails". She's been most helpful about hair & nails. She was able to test for fungus and other simple issues but said I would have to go to a podiatrist for serious problems. She has diagnosed "pseudamonas" under several of my fingernails that are lifting & is treating that.
April - there a good thread on bco - tips for chemo. It addresses many of the issue you might face.
0 -
Thanks Iago! The NED part is what I want to hear-congrats!! As for neuropathy, I am somewhat concerned because I've experienced that precancer-had a bunionectomy 3 years ago and it started on and off after that. The nail part gives me the creeps-stupid but true. As for my hair, it's never been the greatest-it's shoulder length and silver white right now at age 54-figuring it will come back all white and thinner after all these treatments. I'm thinking about dying it again but one of our BC sisters told me her hair turned green after she finished chemo and dyed it! BTW, does Herceptin have side effects?? Thanks!!
0 -
April I dyed my hair 13 weeks after chemo ended professionally. My hair did not turn green. We did have to adjust a bit because it was a little too red though. My hair did not come in thinner but was grayer. Herceptin is not chemo. If you have side effects most are minor. It can have heart issues so you will find they will monitor your heart and make sure your heart is healthy before you start. My hair grew a little slower on Herceptin but not too bad. Some people do get some aches after infusion. If you find that to be the case tell them to slow your infusion. Mine was 30 minutes but some people go 60 or even 90 minutes if they are having issues. Most of us do not.
0 -
April - Taxotere has a permanent hair loss potential, so you might want to read up on Cold Caps if your hair is already thin. There are some threads on this site devoted to cold capping to save your hair, they are searchable. Cold Caps seem to work more effectively with taxane drugs (Taxotere and Taxol) as opposed to anthracyclines (Adriamycin). My hair came back fine but visibly thinned on hormonal therapy drugs. I would assume that because one of your tumors is hormonal receptor positive they will prescribe them for you after chemo. I did ice my nails and I had minimal issues. I had one that lifted due to an injury to the nail prior to chemo, but the rest did just fine. I had no issues with coloring my hair after chemo - and I did it as soon as I had enough to color! Most people experience a runny nose on Herceptin alone, I did have some acute bone pain with my first Herceptin only infusion after finishing chemo, but they infused more quickly than previously. I asked to slow the next infusion and had no further issues. Toward the end of my year of Herceptin I did start to have some low grade headaches but they went away. Some people have side effects that continue from chemo, such as nail issues or blood counts that stay low, while continuing on Herceptin but it is difficult to ascertain if that is leftover from chemo or being caused by Herceptin.
0 -
April - my hair was mostly grey & straight before chemo. It came back dark brown & curly. I'm waiting to see if it changes again.
0 -
Everforward - From the beginning of April to now, I have only had two pedicures. My toenails just are not growing either. My fingernails have always been extremely paper thin but now they are hard as rocks and only growing very slowly. Three fingernails on each hand have dark spots under the nails and some are raised up slightly where the dark spots are.
0 -
April - my first TCH infusion was pretty rough. I was nauseated for 3 days (I don't handle nausea well at all) and I cried a lot because I didn't think I would be able to continue with the treatment. Then I discovered these wonderful ladies who advised me to make sure that I was getting all the right steroids during the infusion. There was a list somewhere on this board that someone supplied me with and before the next infusion, I gave my doctor the list and said I wanted all of them. Apparently, I had been given all but one during the first infusion so it was added for my second infusion. After that, I was never nauseated again. EMEND was the added drug that made all the difference. The others were Aloxi, Deca...something, Dexa...something, and one other I think. Don't get me wrong, I had many other side effects but I could handle all the rest. By the 3rd infusion, the bottoms of my feet were burned as if I had stepped in boiling water. I had a lot of stabbing/shooting body pains, my eyes watered constantly making it hard to see....too many s/e's to list now but do keep an ongoing list of all your side effects as they occur to discuss with your onco each visit. I finished 4 TCH infusions then had my first Herceptin only infusion 3 weeks ago. You don't get steroids with that and I was sick the next day and had to rely on just the nausea meds they prescribe. At this point, my ankles/feet swell constantly and I have body aches still but not the stabbing pain, just aches. I'm starting to get concerned about my hair now. My onco would not allow me to ice my head/fingers/toes. When I look in a close up mirror (x17), it looks like I've lost half my hair follicles. There is lots of space between each hair that is now only about 1/4" long. I wish I had been allowed to ice..... Also, have you had a port installed, don't start the infusions without one since you'll be doing Herceptin for a full year. I hope this information helps you get off to a good start on your treatment.
0 -
April I had many of the SE that Blownaway had but it seems not as bad…except for nausea. I did take the emmend the day of and after chemo but that was it. I never needed anything else for nausea. I went through 6 treatments. My point is everyone is different. You will get some side effects but not all and but many are manageable. My nueropathy (burning in feet) was minor compared to Blownaway. I continued to powerwalk through treatment. If you can try to keep up with your exercise regiment. It really helped many of us.
0 -
My first herceptin only infusion is scheduled for Monday. Anyone have advice? I was getting it over 30 minutes when given with TC, but I was also getting steroids. No steroids with H only, but the MO mentioned benadryl, which puts me right to sleep, not sure what to do. I've read that others do well with a longer infusion time, did you do that proactively or because you had a reaction?
Oh no blownaway, you.still.get nausea with H only? So sorry. I'm now 7 weeks PFC because I had a break for surgery. It seemed at first like my hair was growing, but really sparse, but suddenly its filling in nicely. I'm sure yours will too in time. I'm a little saddened to know it grows a little slower on H
0 -
I did my H longer (90 min) proactively after reading about other's experiences here on this board. There is no proof in the research studies, but it just made sense to me that my body would process it better if I received it slower. I was concerned mostly about the challenge it can place on the heart.
I did mine without benadryl and did fine with that. It was great to not be sleepy. Plus I think benadryl is one of the drugs known to interact with Tamoxifen, so I wanted to try it without it.
0 -
I had one H only over 30 mins, had bone pain. I had received it over 90 with chemo, so went back to that - problem solved. I had no pre-meds with H only infusions.
0
